


Tales from the Underground

by AnnAisu



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Underfell, Fluff, Foreshadowing, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route, Reset Reprecussions, Underfell Papyrus, Underfell Sans, Undertale True Reset, lullaby
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-16
Updated: 2017-02-01
Packaged: 2018-08-15 07:23:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8047576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnnAisu/pseuds/AnnAisu
Summary: A collection of short stories, drabbles, and prompts for Undertale.1 - Flames and Friendship in 'Fell - Sans has an issue with the dogs in town; you're there to help and for the aftermath2 - What happens after the happy story, when everything inevitably resets?3 - All Powerful Azzy the Protector - Asriel and Chara are just hanging out together in their room at New Home, and they indulge in some lighthearted teasing and (silently) not so lighthearted thoughts.4 - Bedtime Promise - It’s time for Papyrus to go to sleep, but the little monster doesn’t want to. (Underfell)





	1. Flames and Friendship in 'Fell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a birthday gift fic for JadeSaphire97! Thanks for reading my stories and leaving comments; I hope you treasure this story as much as I treasure them.  
> Prompt: "I really don’t like the thought of Sans being beat up by Paps and the other monsters laughing at his misery. So I thought maybe there could be a female werewolf monster. Who works for Grillby, by making sure the VERY aggressive drunks don’t destroy the bar. She knows fire magic thanks to Grillby, and when there is a public beating, they stop it and get Sans inside to eat something and to heal his wounds. She has a soft spot for things smaller than her."

There’s a commotion going on outside; not that this was entirely unusual, but the waves of malice emanating from the crowd were far stronger than normal. There was a natural level of anger and violence in the air, of course, but that was nothing compared to what you could feel right now. You shot a quick glance at your boss, and Grillby met your gaze before giving you a curt nod. Permission granted for you to go outside and find out what was going on. The bar was almost completely empty, and the few that remained were smart enough to not try to give Grillby a hard time while you were gone.

It wasn’t as if he couldn’t defend himself, of course; the fire monster had been the one to teach you the fire magics you called upon so often to defend yourself, and you knew that he was probably far stronger than you. It was your job to knock down any drunkards who got to uppity, though, to slam them back into place if they thought they could start destroying the bar. You were the one to break up the fights when they got physical, to take care of the idiots so that Grillby could focus on the food.

You were quite good at your job, if you were honest with yourself. The local monsters had grown to learn that you were not to be trifled with; you were a wolf that wouldn’t accept their behavior. Bigger and now stronger than most of the local monsters, you had earned your respect and right to intervene when fights got out of hand.

Judging by the sounds of the scene you were starting to make out, you would be enforcing that right soon enough. The crowd was jeering, and you could see most of the dog pack circling around their chosen target. You were a werewolf, nothing like the mutts – you were proud and powerful, and you were your own alpha. It was your right to protect those smaller than you, a right you had fought for and earned.

You clenched your fists, fire starting to crackle along your hands and up your arms. Light played across your fur, burning only what you wished it to burn – never yourself or what you wished no harm. You had trained hard and long for your control, and it paid off now. The hiss of flames was warning enough for the crowd to start backing away, clearing a path lest they find themselves the target of your anger.

You could finally see the victim of the ‘Royal Guards’ ire; it was Sans. The smaller skeleton looked to be in bad shape, sweat pouring off his skull as he staggered in place. His jacket was ripped, and you could see large scratches that had torn through his clothing. The dogs must have gotten lucky, or taken the chance to ambush Sans while his brother was gone. Papyrus, the Captain of the Royal Guard, allowed no one to hurt his subordinates but himself, and that applied to his brother as well as the rest of the mutts. The taller, more aggressive skeleton had been called up to the castle, and wouldn’t return for another day or two yet.

This meant there was nothing stopping you from stopping the pack. You didn’t bother warning them before you were suddenly amongst them, fire flinging from your fingertips as the air was filled with howls and the scent of scorched fur. Fire and bones danced as you fought, Sans attacking as well now that he was no longer forced to be on the defense. “c’mon guys, didn’t you want me to throw you a _bone_? ”

A high pitched yelp followed the skeleton’s pun as a particularly nasty bone attack smacked into a canine muzzle. Finally, the dogs were gone, and the crowd had long since dispersed. Harsh pants filled the air, and you examined the exhausted skeleton who had fought behind you. He was clearly worse for wear, tired and torn up, looking so vulnerable even though you’d just seen the prowess of his magic. After a moment of hesitation, you called out to him. “Let’s go inside. Grillby has a burger bottle of mustard with your name written on it.”

He chuckled lowly, straightening up and regaining his good humor. “ _doggone it,_ you know i can’t resist grillby’s food.” You let out a huff of amusement as you led the way back to Grillby’s, Sans right beside you. When you made it back inside the warm building, you found that the few patrons inside had already left and Grillby had closed the bar. It was late, and after a scene like the one outside mere minutes ago, the wiser monsters would be holed up in their moderately-safer houses. It was just plain rude to attack monsters in their own home, not to mention liable to get the attacker killed by someone else.

This all just meant there was no audience as Sans slumped against the bar, not bothering to act tough when you and Grillby were the only ones there. He knew that you both cared for him, and he maintained at least a moderate affection for both of you as well. You had all proved it to each other time and again: Grillby giving the both of you food, you taking care of any fights that threatened either of the other two, and Sans making sure that you were under his brother’s protection as well. It was…nice, having people you could almost trust, be friendly with and not worry that they would attack you – would protect you, even.

Grillby placed a burger in front of Sans as you pulled down a glass of mustard, one of the unopened ones specifically meant for the skeleton’s consumption. You looked up in surprise as Grillby placed a burger before you as well, his harsh flames letting out a pleased crackle – his own version of a, “Good job.”

Taking it for what it was, you slipped into the seat next to Sans and enjoyed your well-earned break and food. You growled lowly in contentment as you enjoyed the food; Grillby had made you your favorite. Sans chuckled beside you as he bit into his own favorite meal, slathered with absolutely ridiculous amounts of mustard. “heh. thanks for the intervention, pal, but you know i could have handled it myself.”

Sans replacement fang gleamed in the light from Grillby’s fire, and you knew full well how dangerous the smaller skeleton could be. You knew he’d pulled himself out of scrapes before…but you also knew how fragile he was. You couldn’t help your desire to protect him, protect those smaller than you who deserved to be protected. It would only take one truly lucky shot, and Sans would be dust.

“Sure, but you know I’m always ready to knock those dogs down a peg or two.” Sans chuckled, and you felt a smile pull up the corners of your lips as well. Your smile would never match the skeleton’s grin, but after a few jokes and time spent in each other’s company, you felt that your smile could give him a run for his money.

“aww, wolfy isn’t happy the dogs got into a fight on her territory?” Sans teased. The dogs may have run of the woods, but this town was _yours_. Well, and the Captain’s, but he seemed appeased that you made his job easier as long as you remained respectful towards him. You were pretty sure that his leniency towards you was almost entirely due to your friendship with Sans. The brothers didn’t show it very well, but you knew that they cared about each other more than anyone else in the Underground.

“This ‘wolfy’ isn’t happy when others get hurt, you bonehead.” You reach over and playfully noogie him. …The noogie was more of your warm paw gently rubbing against his mostly smooth skull, a gentle comfort to you both. “Especially when the one getting hurt is my friend,” you admit.

Sans didn’t say anything for a moment, just tearing into his burger. You watched as his energy began to rise, magic rushing to his face. “they just got lucky shot in, jade. no need to worry. it ain’t gonna happen again.”

This time you smacked him upside the head. It didn’t hurt him of course, but it clearly let him know you thought he was being an idiot. “You’re being an idiot,” you repeated aloud to emphasize this fact. “One day they’ll get more than just a ‘lucky shot in’, and then what’ll I do?”

Sans shrugged, unbothered. “eh, that just means there’d be more mustard for you and grillby.” Nope. You weren’t having this. This called for some serious measures.

You got up from your chair, and Sans stared up at you with wide eyes. He looked so small, there, even with his fluffy jacket making him look a full size larger than he actually was. He looked nervous, unsure of what you’d do, sweat starting to drip again. You ignored that, and swept him into a giant hug.

“You numbskull,” you mutter into his jacket. “We’d miss you if you weren’t here anymore. No one else drinks your stupid mustard or eats half as much of our food as you do.” Grillby crackled silently before you, alerting you to his presence and agreeing with your words. You could feel Sans face heat up where you were pressing to your chest, but you didn’t let him go. The idiot needed to be reminded of how much you cared for him.

After several long moments, he relaxed into you, bony arms coming up to encircle you in a reflection of how you’d wrapped yourself around him. You buried your sensitive nose into his jacket beside his skull, enjoying the scent of mustard, magic, and bones that had come to mean friendship to you.

“thanks, jade,” he whispered. He must be more tired than you had thought, if he was being so honest, not even dropping a pun or terrible joke. You just squeezed him tighter, enjoying the warmth in the air. This was what you had trained for. This is what you would protect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can’t help it; I can’t write Papyrus being cruel to Sans. They do get in fights, and they do have a lot of issues, but they still love each other, and nothing can convince me otherwise. It’s just different and harder to see in Underfell, when the Underground is so cruel. It’s not the best, but they’re brotherly bond is still strong. I may have written out some of my Underfell head-canons a while back, and worked out a backstory for the story I’ll one day write… *sheepish smile*  
> So I may have picked on the dogs instead. They’re a tight-knit pack, and protect one another, but… I needed someone to pick on Sans. *sweatdrop* Trust me, they definitely had a bad time in return, and Papyrus was Not Pleased when he got back (well, he will be, if he finds out). I just suck at writing fight scenes, so I maybe blurred over that?  
> .oOo.  
> This was a prompt I wrote for someone else, and I had a lot of fun writing this. In fact, I enjoyed it so much, that I'm opening up to prompts from anybody who wants to send me one. I won't promise that I'll write it, but I will definitely strongly consider it. So, if you have anything you want to see in the Undertale universe, leave a comment or send me an ask through my tumblr - annaisu.tumblr.com. I'm willing to work with common AU's and _maybe_ whatever pairing... even if I won't write it, I promise not to judge.


	2. Wiping the Slate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I've always wondered what happens in the stories, where the Reader makes friends with Sans and Papyrus, and the rest of the Undertale group. The discussion of Resets will inevitably pop up, and You make promises, reassure them that everything is alright...  
> But, really, have you thought about how a True Reset works?

There’s a skeleton staring at you, little white lights in the place of eyes tracking your movements. You were just watching him from the corner of your eye, yet the pain on his face was clear to see. It looked like loss, regret, anger, pain, guilt, abandonment… your own heart pulsed in sympathy, as if you could feel an echo of that cocktail of emotional despair within you.

He looked familiar, which was a weird and unreal feeling, since you’d barely had any contact with the recently released monsters, and you’d definitely never met this skeleton before in this life of yours. You want to get to know him, though. Want to find out if ( _that_ ) he has a fondness for bad jokes, if (that) he has nightmares that make him doubt the reality of the world, (that) he’s worried everything will be torn away from him, that he’s patient and laid back until he’s been forced to the edge of the apocalypse, where he snaps back with all the ferocity of an angered dragon, why it feels like the two of you could be (are) (once were) such good friends…

You shift in (expectance) surprise as another skeleton walks up towards him, tall where the other is small, pointed where the other is curved, loud where the other is contained. You feel that you should know him too, but there’s something terribly _wrong_ about this picture. You’re expecting the new arrival to shot, to emote expressively, but he just crouches down to (his brother’s) level and speaks to him quietly.

(Sans) looks at him for a moment and shrugs, looking down for a moment before turning back towards you, still with that mix of painful expressions that makes your heart ache and burn. (Papyrus) follows his gaze, and you see his mouth quirk up in an empty grin (that he learned from his brother) but it did nothing to hide the pain in his gentle black eyes. You saw tears start to form before he firmly tears his gaze away from you, catching his brother’s skull in his phalanges. (Papyrus) lifts (Sans) head until their eyes meet, and you can see the defeat on the upturned face before (Papyrus) bent down, gently bringing their foreheads together and whispering words of comfort. Some of the pain slides off both of their faces at the reminder that someone is still there, that _someone_ will at least remember –

You want to go over there and drag them both into a hug, hold them tight and tell them that you’ll never leave, that you promised – you _swore_ on your soul that you would always love them and their entire ragtag family, no matter what came your way or whatever trials you faced – together.

But that’s a ridiculous thought. You shouldn’t intrude on such a private, emotional moment. After all, you’ve never met these two strangers before.

…no matter how much your heart screams otherwise.

 


	3. All Powerful Azzy the Protector

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asriel and Chara are just hanging out together in their room at New Home, and they indulge in some lighthearted teasing and not so lighthearted thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Welcome to year 2017 everybody, and may it be a good one! This is my Secret Santa gift to @emeraldlazers and I hope that they like it! We’re both part of the @undertale-dating-simulator and it’s been awesome working on it.
> 
> So, prepare for almost 1k words of fluff (with light foreshadowing and some somber undertones) between Chara and Asriel! I hope I did their characters justice.

Asriel glanced over at Chara, sitting up on their bed with their legs crossed, idly waving them side to side as they studied a monster history book. He ducked his head to hide a smile as Chara glanced up sharply, trying not to let them see how much the sight of them comfortable and at ease made him happy. They were constantly tense, on guard and wary, as if they were always expecting a blow or an attack to come whenever they relaxed. It hurt his soul to see them hurt, but everything within him felt lighter when they were happy.

Chara was happy, here, and they were slowly showing it to the world. It had been over half a year since they had fallen, and watching them slowly bloom under their love was amazing. Sure, Chara still didn’t seem to always trust it or believe it, seemed to think they needed to earn the affection or that it was just a trap or a lie, but Asriel could see how much it meant to them, how much they were letting themselves  start to be happy.

He could see, because he watched them a lot. He had been careful in the beginning, worried that he might accidently hurt them. His first memory of them would haunt him always, seeing their bruised and bloody form lying on the cold cave floor. Those first few days, as he helped them to Home and as they healed and limped around the house, he had been terrified that he might break them, cause that weird red liquid to spill out again and the nasty discolorations to pop up all over their fair skin.

Now, though, he knew how tough they were. He saw how proud they acted, how self-sufficient they were, how determined they were not to let anything slow them down. Asriel was awed at how cool they were, so very happy that they were his friend – _his friend!!!_ Chara had been wary of him at first, which he understood because he was a very scary monster! He was terrifying to all his foes, and no doubt Chara had been worried that he might try to take revenge on them!

Asriel puffed up his chest as he thought about how tough he was, how tough he’d have to be to take care of all the monsters one day when he became the King, how tough he’d need to be to make sure Chara was safe-

“Hey, Prince Puffy-Paws.” Asriel’s breath left him in a woosh as Chara spoke and he froze. “You’re thinking about being the God of Hyperdeath again.” Asriel laughed nervously as he rubbed at his ears.

“What- no, Chara! I’m just, uh,” he cast his eyes around desperately, looking for a distraction, any distraction, and spotting nothing.

“You were, weren’t you.” Chara flipped over off of the bed, coming up beside Asriel and poking him in the chest. He squeaked and fell backward, waving his arms wildly as he tried and failed to catch his balance. He landed with a thump on the floor as Chara laughed, the dark edge behind their laughter ever-present, but it was covered by their genuine happiness, so Asriel didn’t mind being the butt of their joke.  Much.

“All-powerful Azzy, huh.” They reach down and ruffle his ears, and Asriel can’t help but beam up at them. “That’s a pretty powerful thought.” They look pretty thoughtful indeed, a contemplative look on their face as they glance back at their history book. Asriel felt warmth glow in his chest at their interest in his culture, and in thinking so much about him being strong.

“What would you do with all that power, Azzy?” Chara snickered as he failed to sit up properly, trapping him against the floor. “What would you do? Take revenge on the mean old humans?”

“What- no!” Asriel shouted, stopping all attempts to get up and instead pulling Chara down beside him. They squeaked, but he just carefully pulled them down to lie on the floor beside him. He was careful as they froze for several seconds, but a true smile broke across their face. “I’m going to use my power to protect you, and everyone in the Underground!”

Asriel stared at them firmly, trying to convey just how serious he was. They seemed trapped in his gaze, breath caught as they listened to him. “When I have the power, I’m going to make everyone happy, make _you_ happy. I’m going to make sure everyone is safe and protected, and then I’m going to give everybody their freedom. I’ll be strong enough to save everyone, to make sure that everyone can live good lives, can stand strong and proud without fear! With you by my side, there’s nothing we won’t be able to do!”

Asriel didn’t think he’d ever seen such a soft look on Chara’s face before. It transformed them, made them appear even more beautiful in his eyes. It was such an open emotion, antithesis to almost all expressions they dared to show. The goat prince blushed as he saw the wonder, admiration, and awe on the face of his best friend. He wrapped a paw around his special locket and fought the urge to look down, making sure Chara knew he was serious.

“I’m going to make you proud, Chara,” he whispered. “You, and mom, and dad, and Gerson, and everyone else – I’m going to make sure that we’ll all be okay.” He leaned forward, gently bumping his forehead into Chara’s, mindful of his tiny horns. “Together, we’ll be able to do anything, right?”

Chara sighs and slowly closes their eyes, leaning forward until their breaths mingled. Asriel closed his eyes as well, just breathing in the closeness of his closest friend, letting happiness flood his soul. “Yeah, Azzie. We’ll save everyone together.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I said, this is a gift for emeraldlazers - their tumblr is _[here](http://emeraldlazers.tumblr.com/)_ and their AO3 account is _[here](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Emerald_Lazers/pseuds/Emerald_Lazers)_. I have no idea what they think yet, but I hope they like it!  
>  And I hope that everyone reading this - and even everyone not reading this - likes this new year, finds a reason to be happy in 2017. Everyone will face challenges this year, but I challenge you to overcome them. Papyrus believes in you, after all, and I'm sure Asriel would want you to be happy as well.


	4. Bedtime Promise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s time for Papyrus to go to sleep, but the little monster doesn’t want to.  
> This takes place in Underfell, with no determinate time or place other than that the two are still baby bones.  
> This story is a secret santa gift for http://victoriasandres0599.tumblr.com/ courtesy of the undertalesecretsanta event. :)

“Sa-ans, I don’t wanna go to sleep!” The tiny skeleton scowled up at his bigger brother. It looked more like a pout than a scowl, scrunching up his pointed little face. “I wanna play some more!” The energetic skeleton bounced in place, just about the farthest thing from tired and sleepy.

Sans really wished he had some of Papyrus’ energy and enthusiasm, but it seemed as if the younger and far more excited skeleton had stolen _his_ vitality and was using it to bounce around. Sans grimaced, feeling even more tired as he watched the energetic display. “c'mon, bro, you know you hafta’ go ta’ sleep,” Sans pleaded.

“Nuh-uh!” Papyrus shouted, shaking his head rapidly and in all directions, looking like a wet dog monster trying to dry off. Sans closed his eyes and tried to gather his strength as Papyrus began repeating himself, growing louder and more empathetic with each repetition. “Nuh-uh, Nuh-uh, NUH-UH!”

“Papyrus!” Sans cried out, and Papyrus quieted. “hey now, don’t you want to be ready and full of energy tomorrow morning?” Papyrus nodded with full force, canines gleaming as he tried to show off just how energetic he would be. “you won’t be if you don’t get some sleep tonight. you’ll be tired and want to lay-about like me – you might even take a nap in the middle of the day.”

Papyrus gasped in horror at the thought. Sans took no offense at how offended Papyrus was – just as he didn’t understand how his brother could be so full of energy and so _alive_ all of the time, neither did Paps understand that Sans liked to rest and conserve his energy for when he really needed it. That was far more unfortunately often than he would like, in this kill or be killed world of theirs.

As much as it made going to sleep a trial every single night, Sans hoped that Papyrus never lost that energy, his boundless enthusiasm. It was a good defense against the world, keeping Papyrus safe and ready to fight back or run for far longer than most anyone else could. Right now, though, there was no need to fight or flee. They were as safe as they could be, and they needed to rest for when they weren’t as safe tomorrow.

“-and then I wouldn’t be so Great, because you can’t be great if you’re always sleeping instead of going out and doing great things!” Sans tuned back into Papyrus’ babbling, going on a rant about how he’d never be as lazy as his brother. “However, I am the Great and Terrible Papyrus,” Sans bit back a snicker – his bro had decided that would be his nickname a time ago, and refused to ever let it drop – “and as such, I will continue to go out and do Great things! And people will stop fighting and look up to me and see how great I am! And those that keep fighting, I will be terrible to, and then they will be terrified into seeing how great I am!”

“ya can’t do that if you don’t get ta’ sleep soon, paps,” Sans broke in. “look, bro, i’ll – i’ll even do that thing you like me to do.” Papyrus instantly stopped what he was doing, and zoomed over to Sans. His sleeping ‘cape’ fluttered out behind him, a soft red blanket tied around his neck. It had seen plenty of wear and tear, and was more than a little bedraggled, but it was beloved and both brothers took utmost care with it.

Sans felt a magic blush light his cheekbones as his brother stared at him with rapt attention. “Please, brother?” Papyrus said softly, looking up at him with big, pleading eyes. Sans felt a familiar wash of anger as he spotted the crack along marring his brother’s bones, but that just made him more determined to keep Papyrus safe; and if keeping his bro safe meant embarrassing himself, then so be it.

Papyrus didn’t seem to think it was embarrassing, at least, and his precious brother’s opinion was really all that mattered. “you gotta get into bed first,” Sans began, and Papyrus had already launched himself into his sleeping area before Sans finished the sentence. Sans let a genuine smile grow across his fanged face; his brother was so cool… and adorable. “alright, then.” Sans cleared his throat awkwardly, and Pap wrapped his 'cape’ up around himself.

“hush my brother, it’s time to sleep,  
"quiet down here in the caverns deep.”

"wrap your cape around you tight,  
"brothers gonna tuck you in tonight.”

"little monsters need their rest,  
"that way they can be the best.”

"and you’ll grow up big and strong,  
"righting the world and fixing the wrong.”

"hey i know that you’ll be great,  
"to be terrible is your fate.”

"and i’ll be beside you there,  
"that is something i’ll always swear.”

Sans let his voice trail off as whistling little snores filled the room, his brother already fast asleep. Maybe it was still a little embarrassing to actually sing out loud to his little brother, but it was worth every moment for the peace it brought. The most precious thing in the world to him could finally lay down to rest, the still-innocent soul relaxing and trusting in Sans to keep him safe.

“i’ll always be there for you,” Sans swore quietly beside his brothers bed. “i promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come read it on tumblr [here](http://annaisu.tumblr.com/post/156661023161/bedtime-promise). Check out Victoria [here](http://victoriasandres0599.tumblr.com/).  
> I enjoyed writing this, and it's even inspired by something that Victoria took part in writing - the popular Undertale story "Caged Bird"!


End file.
